Immortals After Dark 07 - Kiss of a Demon King

were black, but he was holding on.
    "What is going on here?" she asked. "All Cadeon would say is, 'Have you ever wanted to see a scene from The Exorcist in real life?'"
    "She's sick," Rydstrom said. "She told me it was a poison. You know poisons. Tell me what to do."
    In the darkened room, figments of Sabine's illusions began flashing in a delirious procession, like words babbled.
    Nix approached the bed, tilting her head. "There's a blue tinge to her lips." She turned Sabine's arm over.
    Streaking down the pale skin was a jagged red injury, like a burn. It ran all the way to her palm, where it made an X.
    Nix abruptly dropped her arm, wiping her hand on her pants. "She's been condemned."
    "Condemned? What the fuck are you talking about?"
    "This is the morsus, the crudest poison-because it causes inconceivable pain upon the withdrawal. Sabine would have had to take a regular dose of this poison to keep it at bay."
    "Ah, gods, she'd been trying to get back to Omort days ago. I . . . stopped her."
    "Then he's the one who has done this to her. It makes sense that he'd use this to control her for all these years."
    "What will happen to her?"
    "Have you touched her skin? Did you feel that pain?" When he nodded, she said, "You're experiencing possibly a percent of what Sabine is. There's supposed to be no greater agony. It feels like being scalded and stabbed, as if your skin is being pincered from your body. Demon, this will get a thousand times worse. The pain will become so great, it will prove a shock to her body, so intense that her heart will stop."
    "It already has!" Inhaling deeply, he tried to calm his tone. "What can I do?"
    Nix shook her head sadly. "Absolutely nothing help her. The only person who can save her is the one who poisoned her. Rydstrom, you need to prepare yourself. Sabine will have one heart attack after another
    "No! No, someone has to be able to help her," he said, his voice breaking. "Tera, Mariketa-"
    "Will only confirm what I've said." "What about Sabine's sister-she's saved her before!"
    "Ah, Melanthe, the potential Queen of Persuasion. Healing another is one of the hardest processes to effect. And her power is weak, only manifesting itself in unpredictable fits and spurts."
    Rydstrom rested his forehead against Sabine's, desperate to take this pain from her. "There has to be something 1 can do for her." He gazed up at the Valkyrie, unashamed to beseech her.
    "Nix, please ..."
    "There is something you must do. Rydstrom, if you care anything about Sabine," she said,
    "you will kill her now."
    In between fevered waves of agony, she'd heard Rydstrom speaking to her.
    With his voice growing thick, he'd pleaded, "Cwena,
    fight this forme." He'd threatened, "What am I supposed to do without you? You can't leave me like this! I'll fol-low you to the gods damned grave, Sabine."
    And when another wave had crashed down and she'd thrown back her head and shrieked, he'd roared with his own pain and confusion, clutching her so tightly, until her screams died down....
    Sometimes, she heard other voices. The brother was

    often here. Two females came and went.
    Now she perceived Rydstrom sitting beside her on
    the bed, stroking her hair. But another wave was build-
    ing.... building . . . And each one was worse than the
    last.
    "Rydstrom..."
    "I'm here, Sabine." He kissed her palm, then rubbed
    his face into it. "I'm right here."
    "Kill me," she begged as residual pain seared through her body. "Please..."
    His dark eyes were frantic. "Never!"
    "You say . . . you care about me," she whispered. "But if you did ... you would kill me."
    "I don't fucking care about you! I'm in love with you, Sabine. You told me I needed you," he said desperately. "I do. Freely, I admit it." He held her face, seeming to grit his teeth against the pain of the contact. "We'll fight this together."
    "You . . . love me?" She'd known, had felt it every minute with him. But to hear him say it. . .
    "Ah, gods, cwena. You have my heart. Anything that I possess is yours. Just heal. Just feel no pain."
    "Then let me go." Damp tendrils of red hair framed Sabine's pale face. "Please . .. I'm begging you ..."
    He couldn't hear these words, couldn't imagine the pain that would drive her to speak them-She seized again, her back arching, more blood gurgling from her lips as she screamed again and again. Nix and Cadeon rushed inside just as her body fell limp.
    But her eyes were open.
    They were sightless, staring at nothing.
    Nix said, "She